Flood Sweeps Away Homes and Bridges in Nepal’s Gorkha

A sudden flood on the Budhi Gandaki River swept away houses and bridges in Nepal’s Gorkha district early Sunday, prompting authorities to warn riverside residents to evacuate or move to higher ground. No casualties had been reported in the initial updates, officials said. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority issued an alert at 6:40 a.m. advising people to stay away from the river and remain in elevated areas until the flood passed. Local authorities also used loudspeakers to warn residents. The alert covered communities along the river downstream toward Trishuli Dobhan, while Gorkha officials urged people in riverside settlements to seek safer locations. The scale of the damage was still being assessed. Gorkha Chief District Officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra said preliminary reports indicated that five to seven houses in the riverbed at Jagat had been swept away. He said officials were seeking further information from the ground, including reports of additional damage downstream. Nepal Police said the flood swept away two suspension footbridges and a steel bridge in Gorkha, and that houses were damaged or inundated.